I Don't Care WHO You Are!
Just got back from a few days at the lake. It was a good time.....hot, but a good time. Had some family birthday parties, and missed some family members who were not able to come. REALLY hot, as you can imagine. Thank heaven for campers with air conditioning! My mom says we're not really camping because we aren't "roughing it". I say if we were roughing it I wouldn't even be there. At 58, sorry 59, I no longer have any desire to rough it. And if my camping is for the pampered set, so be it. I roughed it when I was young!
We really like camping. Sometimes we go to rugged places, and sometimes we camp in the middle of a city. Some people don't understand our love for camping. A friend of ours once asked why we were getting a camper. He made the point that the money spent on the camper would buy a lot of hotel rooms. He was right. It sure would. But as my husband answered, that's just not who we are. We are campers. Different people than hotel people.
Being different is not unique. All people are different in some way or another. Our likes, habits,culture, family, all those things and more make us different from one another.
Sometimes we don't understand people who are different from those around us. I have a hard time understanding differences in other people. My smug mind apparently thinks that my way is the right way and anyone who does things differently is sadly mistaken. I look at the problems between people in the world and wonder if this, the inability to love those who are different, is the basis for all of the issues we read abut every day.
I havr been reading in Acts this week. The story of Saul ( later Paul) is one of the most fascinating in the Bible. As I began readings about Stephen, and how dedicated he was to spreading the gospel, I was shocked to be reminded that Saul approved and allowed Stephen's killing. Saul was notorious for his horrible persecution of Christians, but attaching a name and insight into his victim's commitment to Christ makes the act seem much more disturbing. As you know, Saul's conversion
made him a tireless evangelist for the cause of Christ. He became the " different" type of person he
persecuted before.
Shortly after Paul's conversion, in Acts 10 we read the story of Cornelius ands Peter. This is an amazing story, as you can see very well how intricately God planned the interaction between the two.
Before his trip, Peter was on a rooftop praying. He was very hungry, but was waiting for the meal to be prepared. While praying, he went into a trance and was given a vision from God. In the vision a
large sheet was brought down from the heavens,and in it were all kinds of animals. After eyeing all the animals, God said to Peter, " Go. Kill and eat.". Peter argued that he, being a good Jew, had never eaten anything unclean. God replied , " Do not call anything unclean that I have made clean.". Peter
had the same vision 3 times, and a short time later he was called to go see Cornelius. ( I don't do the story justice, you should read it in Acts 10) .
Later , when Peter meets Cornelius and realizes that God had arranged their meeting, he realized what his vision was trying to tell him. It is here that Peter realizes God is offering salvation through his son not only to the Jews, but to all people. Even hated Gentiles. BIG paradigm shift! Those people who are so different, hated, ostracized ......God loves them too.
The verse that stood out for me in this text is Acts 10:34. For most of my life I thought this was just a saying. I rally had no idea it was from scripture. I will quote the King James, because this is
the wording I always heard:
"Then Peter opened his mouth and said, 'Of a truth I see that God is no respecter of persons."
No respecter of persons? What dos that mean? He doesn't respect me? I wouldn't either if I were Him. No,it goes on in the next few verses to explain that God accepts all, no matter how different, how sinful, how rich, how poor. He accepts all who accept His son. Period.
So no. God does not like me more than the murderer I read about. Nor does he like Billy
Graham more than He does me ( which is really hard for me to get) . He offers Himself to us all.
I have to confess that I have had to really consider some of my prejudices. The dad who doesn't work to support his kids. The mom who buys cigarettes and beer instead of milk for her kids. Muslims. Long ago, a well respected preacher said there is NO place in the Christian's life for prejudice. He was so right. I am going to really do some work with God on this one. It's one of the things he asks of us as His children. To extend kindness and God's love and mercy to ALL his children.......not just the ones I like. The ones like me . The ones who aren't different.
I'm excited to share with you next time about a secular book I just read titled "Unbroken" . An amazing story of WW 2. You're going to want to read that one...an extremely moving story. Until next time......love someone 'different'.
We really like camping. Sometimes we go to rugged places, and sometimes we camp in the middle of a city. Some people don't understand our love for camping. A friend of ours once asked why we were getting a camper. He made the point that the money spent on the camper would buy a lot of hotel rooms. He was right. It sure would. But as my husband answered, that's just not who we are. We are campers. Different people than hotel people.
Being different is not unique. All people are different in some way or another. Our likes, habits,culture, family, all those things and more make us different from one another.
Sometimes we don't understand people who are different from those around us. I have a hard time understanding differences in other people. My smug mind apparently thinks that my way is the right way and anyone who does things differently is sadly mistaken. I look at the problems between people in the world and wonder if this, the inability to love those who are different, is the basis for all of the issues we read abut every day.
I havr been reading in Acts this week. The story of Saul ( later Paul) is one of the most fascinating in the Bible. As I began readings about Stephen, and how dedicated he was to spreading the gospel, I was shocked to be reminded that Saul approved and allowed Stephen's killing. Saul was notorious for his horrible persecution of Christians, but attaching a name and insight into his victim's commitment to Christ makes the act seem much more disturbing. As you know, Saul's conversion
made him a tireless evangelist for the cause of Christ. He became the " different" type of person he
persecuted before.
Shortly after Paul's conversion, in Acts 10 we read the story of Cornelius ands Peter. This is an amazing story, as you can see very well how intricately God planned the interaction between the two.
Before his trip, Peter was on a rooftop praying. He was very hungry, but was waiting for the meal to be prepared. While praying, he went into a trance and was given a vision from God. In the vision a
large sheet was brought down from the heavens,and in it were all kinds of animals. After eyeing all the animals, God said to Peter, " Go. Kill and eat.". Peter argued that he, being a good Jew, had never eaten anything unclean. God replied , " Do not call anything unclean that I have made clean.". Peter
had the same vision 3 times, and a short time later he was called to go see Cornelius. ( I don't do the story justice, you should read it in Acts 10) .
Later , when Peter meets Cornelius and realizes that God had arranged their meeting, he realized what his vision was trying to tell him. It is here that Peter realizes God is offering salvation through his son not only to the Jews, but to all people. Even hated Gentiles. BIG paradigm shift! Those people who are so different, hated, ostracized ......God loves them too.
The verse that stood out for me in this text is Acts 10:34. For most of my life I thought this was just a saying. I rally had no idea it was from scripture. I will quote the King James, because this is
the wording I always heard:
"Then Peter opened his mouth and said, 'Of a truth I see that God is no respecter of persons."
No respecter of persons? What dos that mean? He doesn't respect me? I wouldn't either if I were Him. No,it goes on in the next few verses to explain that God accepts all, no matter how different, how sinful, how rich, how poor. He accepts all who accept His son. Period.
So no. God does not like me more than the murderer I read about. Nor does he like Billy
Graham more than He does me ( which is really hard for me to get) . He offers Himself to us all.
I have to confess that I have had to really consider some of my prejudices. The dad who doesn't work to support his kids. The mom who buys cigarettes and beer instead of milk for her kids. Muslims. Long ago, a well respected preacher said there is NO place in the Christian's life for prejudice. He was so right. I am going to really do some work with God on this one. It's one of the things he asks of us as His children. To extend kindness and God's love and mercy to ALL his children.......not just the ones I like. The ones like me . The ones who aren't different.
I'm excited to share with you next time about a secular book I just read titled "Unbroken" . An amazing story of WW 2. You're going to want to read that one...an extremely moving story. Until next time......love someone 'different'.
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